White Rabbit

• rabbit, wild (1), gutted and cleaned, cut into 6 joints
• pork and apple sausages (6)
• onion, large (1), peeled and sliced
• carrots (3), peeled and sliced into thick rounds
• potatoes,medium (4),peeled and sliced into thick rounds
• celeriac,medium (1), peeled and thickly sliced to match potato slices
• celery (3 sticks), washed and sliced
• chicken stock, 1 pint
• white wine, 2 large glasses
• mustard, ground (1 tsp)
• flour (1oz)
• bay leaf (1)
• sage leaves (6), finely chopped
• butter or oil

1. Mix flour and mustard.
2. Dust rabbit joints with the flour.
3. Brown rabbits joints using butter or oil in large casserole dish.
4. Remove rabbit and fry onion and celery gently, more oil may required. Loosen any 'caught-on' fragments in the bottom of the casserole dish from the frying of the rabbit.
5. Place rabbit joints back into casserole dish.
6. Add carrot, wine, chicken stock and herbs.
7. Bring to the boil.
8. The potato and celeriac pieces should be layered across the top of the dish but first dunk into hot stew so that they are partially blanched.
9. Push sausages in amongst the potato and celeriac pieces.
10. Cover casserole and cook in a slow oven (Mark 2/300ºF/150ºC) for about 2½-3 hours. Check every 30 minutes during last hour and turn sausages if necessary.
11. Remove casserole lid, check if extra stock (or water) needs to be added and dribble vegetables with olive oil.
12. Cook the dish (without lid) in a hot oven (Mark 5/375ºF/190ºC) for about 20 minutes.
13. Check regularly and turn sausages if necessary.
14. Sausages, potatoes and celeriac should be golden brown at the end of cooking.

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